Hands-on review: The Clicker Leash

The first time I heard of the Clicker Leash, I was surprised that no one had ever thought of it before. We had just started basic obedience training with Bandit, which relied heavily on the use of treats and clickers.

Here are the basic principles, in case you don’t know how clicker training works:

You start off by “loading up” the clicker — in front of your dog, you click then give him a treat immediately, several times. This lets your dog know that when he hears a click, a treat is forthcoming.

How’s that different from just giving your dog a treat when he does what you want him to do? Well, the clicker lets your dog know at the exact moment that he is performing the desired behavior. The time you spend fumbling for a treat can be the difference when it comes to learning something new. In addition, the distinctive sound cuts through a lot of distractions.

The problem, of course, is that humans only have two hands. Trying to teach your dog to walk loosely on a leash requires holding said leash, a clicker and treats. Now imagine trying to do this during a walk through the neighborhood. It’s a lot to keep track of.

Enter the Clicker Leash (which the company sent me a free sample of). I’ll be the first to admit, the concept is the equivalent of taping a clicker (which you can get for less than $1) to a leash (which is also pretty cheap). But the Clicker Leash accomplishes this with style. The handle is solid but comfortable, with a rubberized-plastic feel. The button that sets off the clicker is ergonomically located, right where your thumb would be. It also comes in several colors, for the more style-conscious dog owners out there.

But I do have two qualms, which are related. First off, the Clicker Leash, at $39.95, is not cheap. It’s up to you if that’s worth avoiding misplaced clickers and dropped treats when you’re training.

My second issue is that it ships with a 3-foot-long leash; I think the standard leash length for training is 6 feet. You can order replacement leashes of different lengths — from $3.95 for a 1-foot leash to $9.95 for a 9-foot lead — but it obviously costs extra. I think it’d be a better value if you could pick out what length your leash came with.

Overall, I think it’s a good, simple, useful idea that’s been executed well (if not cheaply).